Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall Guide: Hike, Caves, & Swimming

Goa Giri Campuhan feels like one of the few waterfalls in Bali that never got the full tourist-attraction makeover. There’s no polished entrance, no big ticket kiosk, no line of cafes and, when I visited, barely anyone else around.

That’s a big part of why I liked it. It feels a little raw, a little confusing in places, and much more local than Bali’s famous waterfall stops. If you’re happy trading convenience for peace and quiet, this one is absolutely worth knowing about.

Here’s everything you need to know before you visit Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall based on my several visits in 2026, including entrance fees, conditions, and the hike.

Goa Giri Campuhan: Quick Guide

Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall (or just GGC) is one of the more interesting waterfalls around Bangli, mostly because getting there is half the experience.

The walk takes you through rice fields, down into dark cave tunnels and along the river before reaching the waterfalls and natural swimming areas.

In 2026, it gets way fewer tourists than places like Tukad Cepung and Tibumana, but the trail is also a little more involved. Expect around 20 minutes of walking each way in good conditions, with stairs, uneven paths and sections that can get very slippery after heavy rain.

• Location: Tembuku, Bangli
• Entrance fee: IDR 25,000
• Opening hours: 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Walking time: Roughly 15 to 20 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy to Medium
• Waterfall height: 25 metres (main waterfall)
• Swimming: Yes, in natural pools and river sections
• Facilities: Almost none
• Time needed: Allow around 1.5 to 2 hours
• Best time: Morning for cooler walking conditions and fewer people

Is Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you’ve already seen Bali’s easier and more famous waterfalls. Goa Giri Campuhan feels more like a small hike and exploration than simply walking down a staircase, taking a photo and leaving.

The caves, rice fields, river and several waterfall areas make it more interesting than the average waterfall stop.

The trade-off is that the trail needs a bit more effort, and I wouldn’t make this my first choice immediately after several days of heavy rain.

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What is Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall like?

One thing that’s difficult to figure out before visiting Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall is what you’re actually going to find at the bottom. Photos online show different waterfalls, caves and sections of river, and it can look like they’re all in the same place. They’re not.

The area is spread along the river rather than centred around a single waterfall. When you first come out of the tunnels, you reach the river section. The main waterfall is further along and requires continuing past the water-control structure to reach it.

This also explains why you’ll see Goa Giri Campuhan described online as having two or three waterfalls. There are several places where water comes down the sides of the canyon, but they aren’t all permanent waterfalls.

Some are seasonal falls that appear when there’s been enough rain. During dry season, these can shrink considerably or disappear completely, leaving the main waterfall as the obvious attraction. Visit during rainy season and the same section of canyon can look completely different.

So don’t think of Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall as three separate waterfalls that you walk between. It’s better thought of as one river and canyon area with a main waterfall, seasonal falls and several different sections to explore.

That layout isn’t explained particularly well online, and it made much more sense once I was actually down there.

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Goa Giri Campuhan Location

Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall is in Tembuku, Bangli Regency, in central-east Bali. It’s close to several other Bangli attractions, including Tukad Cepung Waterfall, Goa Raja Waterfall and Penglipuran Village.

Approximate driving distances and times from Bali’s main tourist areas are:

• Canggu: 55 km, around 1 hr 40 mins to 2 hrs
• Kuta and Legian: 50 km, around 1 hr 30 mins to 2 hrs
• Nusa Dua: 64 km, around 1 hr 30 mins to 1 hr 45 mins
• Sanur: 40 km, around 1 hr to 1 hr 20 mins
• Seminyak: 52 km, around 1 hr 30 mins to 2 hrs
• Ubud: 25 km, around 45 mins to 1 hr
• Uluwatu: 70 km, around 1 hr 45 mins to 2 hrs 15 mins

Drive times in 2026 can change quite a bit with traffic, especially when coming from Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta and Uluwatu. Goa Giri Campuhan is only a few kilometres from Tukad Cepung, so the drive times are broadly similar for both waterfalls.

⚠️ Heads Up: If you’re heading there on your own, there’s a “Goa Giri Waterfall” pin on Google Maps. That is the waterfall itself. It’s better to set your location to “Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall ( GGC Waterfall )” at G9RM+H6 Tembuku, Bangli Regency, Bali, Indonesia

How to get to Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall

You don’t have many options for getting around this part of Bali like you would in Ubud or Seminyak. It boils down to getting a driver or riding a scooter.

• Private driver: The easiest option, especially if you’re combining Goa Giri Campuhan with other places around Bangli. Your driver can wait at the parking area while you hike down.
• Scooter: Easy enough if you’re comfortable riding in Bali. Park at the designated parking area and walk from there. You cannot ride your scooter down to the waterfall.
• Grab or Gojek: Don’t rely on either for the return trip. You might get a driver willing to take you into Tembuku, but finding one to pick you up again can be difficult.
• Taxi: Bluebird taxis are uncommon this far into Bangli, so this isn’t a practical option for getting there and back.
• Parking: Free parking is available near the entrance, beside the small warung where you can also pay your entrance fee.

If you’re exploring Bangli for the day, book my Private Car & Driver and build your own itinerary around Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall, nearby waterfalls, temples and rice terraces.

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Entrance fee & Opening Hours

As of 2026, entrance to Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall costs IDR 25,000 per person. The same price applies to adults and children.

• Adults: IDR 25,000
• Children: IDR 25,000
• Parking: Free
• Opening hours: 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Goa Giri Campuhan open from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, but the times might vary since it’s run by the local village and not on a strict schedule.

Tickets are paid at the small hut at the entrance, or at the warung beside the parking area run by Ibu Komang and her family. Keep some small rupiah notes handy before arriving.

⚠️ Heads Up: Goa Giri Campuhan isn’t an official obyek wisata (tourist attraction) with a proper ticket office and card facilities. Payment is strictly cash only, and there are no card machines at the entrance. Bring enough cash before driving out to Tembuku.

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The Hike to Goa Giri Campuhan

• Walking time: Around 20 minutes each way
• Difficulty: Easy to moderate
• Terrain: Rice fields, dirt paths, stairs and two short tunnels
• Flashlight: Needed inside the tunnels
• Rainy season: Can get muddy and slippery

You’ll need to walk from the parking area to Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall. You can’t ride a scooter down to the falls, even though you’ll probably see local farmers cruising through the rice fields on theirs like it’s nothing.

From the parking area to the bottom takes around 20 minutes at a comfortable pace. About 60% of the walk is flat and takes you straight through working rice fields, so the first part is pretty easy and scenic.

After the rice fields, the route changes to narrow dirt paths. This is where it can get a little confusing, because the trail splits in a few places and the signs are tiny.

Eventually the path starts heading downhill and reaches a series of stairs. They’re actually better built than you might expect, although the trail isn’t maintained like a major tourist attraction. Expect leaves, fallen branches and the occasional bit of debris across the steps.

💡 Pro Tip: Keep an eye out for the small direction signs. If all else fails, make eye contact with one of the farmers nearby. Trust me, they’ll know you’re lost. They get it all the time and will point you in the right direction. No English needed.

The Caves at Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall

At the bottom of the main staircase, you’ll reach the first of the dark tunnels.

They’re often referred to as caves, but they’re actually short man-made tunnels, roughly 20 to 30 metres long. There isn’t much light once you’re inside, so turn on your phone flashlight before heading down the stairs.

The first tunnel brings you out onto a small platform overlooking the river below. It’s already a pretty good viewpoint, but you’re still above the water at this point.

To reach the river, continue to the left side of the platform, where a second tunnel leads further downhill.

Accessing Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall

The second tunnel brings you down beside the river, but you’re still not at the base of the waterfall.

This section is worth stopping at for photos before continuing. From here, go back up. You’ll need to climb down the ladder beside the small sluice gate, which controls water flowing through the channel.

The ladder takes you onto the top of a low concrete weir (the little dam) crossing the river. You can walk along the top towards the waterfall, and this is another excellent spot for photos before heading closer to the falls.

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Swimming at Goa Giri Campuhan

• Best swimming spot: River area through the second cave
• Main waterfall pool: Limited swimming room in dry season
• Crowds: Usually very quiet compared with Tibumana or Tegenungan
• Rainy season: Stronger currents are possible
• Facilities: No toilets or changing rooms down by the water

Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall gets way less visitors than places like Tegenungan or Tibumana, so it’s a great place for a quiet swim without a crowd around you.

If you’re here with a few friends, the river is especially nice for just hanging out, cooling off and listening to the water without much else going on around you.

During the dry season, the pool directly beneath the main waterfall doesn’t give you much room to properly swim. The better spot is down by the river, which you reach through the second cave on the hike down.

The rainy season is a very different experience. Two rivers meet around this section of Goa Giri Campuhan, so water levels rise and the current around the confluence can become noticeably stronger after heavy rain.

⚠️ Heads Up: There are no changing rooms or toilets down by the river or waterfall. If you want to change after swimming, you’ll need to go old school and find some privacy behind the bushes. The upside is that you’ll often have the place almost entirely to yourself, especially during low season.

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Best Time to Visit: Seasons & Timing

There isn’t really a bad season to visit Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall. Dry season and rainy season are just very different experiences, and both have their pros and cons.

Season	Pros	Cons
Dry season	Easier walk, less mud, calmer river, better for swimming	Smaller waterfall flow, less dramatic scenery
Rainy season	Bigger waterfalls, greener rice fields, more impressive water flow	Muddy paths, slippery stairs, stronger currents

• Rainy Season
  Rainy season is when Goa Giri Campuhan looks its most impressive. The waterfalls carry much more water, the surrounding rice fields are bright green and the entire area feels a lot more alive. The trade-off is the hike. Dirt sections can become muddy, the stairs and tunnels get more slippery, and the two rivers meeting near the falls can create stronger currents after heavy rain.
• Dry Season
  Dry season generally gives you the easiest walk down to the waterfall. The rice-field paths are firmer, the stairs are less slippery and the river is usually calmer. The downside is that the waterfalls can be noticeably smaller, and the pool below the main waterfall doesn’t offer much space for swimming when water levels are low.
• Best Time of Day
  Contrary to what everyone else recommends, I recommend arriving in the morning or around 4:00 PM. Temperatures are cooler for the walk through the rice fields, and you have a better chance of having the river and waterfall mostly to yourself. Goa Giri Campuhan stays fairly quiet so you don’t need to race there for sunrise.

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Photography & Drone Tips

Goa Giri Campuhan Waterfall is perfect for photography because you get much more than just the waterfall itself. The rice fields, dark tunnels, river, concrete weir and narrow canyon all give you different shots on the same visit.

The main waterfall is surrounded by fairly steep canyon walls, so lighting can change quickly depending on the time of day.

Photography tips

• Rice fields: Grab a few wide shots during the walk in before heading underground.
• Caves: Use the bright opening at the end of the tunnel to create silhouette shots.
• River platform: One of the easiest spots for wider photos looking down into the canyon.
• Weir/ Damn: Great place to photograph someone walking towards the waterfall.
• Main waterfall: Include a person in the frame to show the scale.
• Phone camera: Use the 0.5x lens for the waterfall and canyon, but wipe your lens regularly because spray builds up quickly.

Flying a drone at Goa Giri Campuhan

I flew my little drone here without any problems, and the canyon gives you some brilliant angles that you simply can’t get from the ground.

The biggest issue with this location in 2026 is GPS signal. You’re flying between steep canyon walls, so your drone may struggle to get enough satellites near the river and waterfall.

• Start with a fully charged battery.
• Wait for a solid satellite connection before taking off if possible.
• Check that your Home Point has actually been recorded.
• Keep the drone in sight and don’t disappear too far down the canyon.
• Watch the trees and canyon walls when flying sideways or backwards.
• The open section above the river gives you much more room than directly beside the waterfall.

⚠️ Drone Warning: Be very careful with your Home Point down here. I took off without a satellite lock, and my drone only picked up signal once it was already flying above the river. That meant it tried to record its Home Point in the middle of the canyon over the water. Not an ideal place for the drone to think home is. Speaking from experience at this exact waterfall, watching the battery drop while sprinting through the river after your drone is a fairly effective (and embarrasing) way to learn this lesson.

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What to do Near Goa Giri Campuhan

There’s a lot more than waterfalls around here. You’ve got everything from ancient temples and traditional villages to rice terraces and some seriously overlooked spots that barely see any tourists.

I’ve visited most of these places myself, and a lot of them are closer together than they look on the map. Just keep in mind that the waterfalls usually involve stairs, uneven paths and a fair bit of walking, so they can start adding up over the course of the day.

Within 30 minutes

• Krisik Waterfall (600 m away): A quiet waterfall reached through rice fields, with several cascades and very few tourists.
• Tukad Cepung Waterfall (2 km away): A famous canyon waterfall known for the shafts of sunlight that can reach the falls.
• Yeh Bulan Waterfall (4 km away): A lesser-known waterfall in Jehem with natural pools and a good swimming area.
• Goa Raja Waterfall (4 km away): A cave waterfall with an easy walk down, natural swimming areas and man-made pools nearby.
• Grudugan Waterfall (4.5 km away): A secluded waterfall tucked between rocky cliffs in Jehem, well away from Bali’s busier waterfall circuit.
• Bukit Jambul (7 km away): A roadside viewpoint overlooking rice terraces, valleys and the coastline towards Klungkung.
• Penglipuran Village (9 km away): A traditional Balinese village known for its beautifully preserved layout and rows of family compounds.
• Tirta Sudamala (10.5 km away): A sacred Balinese water temple where locals come for melukat purification ceremonies.
• Kertha Gosa Park (12 km away): A historic Klungkung complex known for its traditional pavilion and painted ceiling.

30 to 45 minutes away

• Kanto Lampo Waterfall (16.5 km away): A wide cascade flowing over stepped volcanic rock, with shallow water at the bottom for photos and cooling off.
• Tibumana Waterfall (17 km away): An easy-access waterfall with a large pool that’s much better suited to swimming.
• Bangkiang Djaran Waterfall (17.5 km away): A small, lesser-known waterfall surrounded by thick greenery and generally very few people.
• Gunung Kawi Tampaksiring (18.5 km away): An ancient archaeological complex with huge shrines carved directly into the cliff walls.
• Sidemen Rice Terraces (20 km away): One of East Bali’s best areas for rice-field views, village walks and Mount Agung scenery.
• Tirta Empul Temple (21 km away): One of Bali’s most important water temples, famous for its sacred springs and purification pools.
• Gunung Kawi Sebatu (23 km away): A peaceful water temple surrounded by ponds, fountains and gardens.
• Mancingan Rice Terraces (24 km away): Quiet working rice fields around Tampaksiring with walking paths and very little tourist infrastructure.
• Bali Pulina (25 km away): A coffee plantation where you can learn about traditional coffee production and sample local drinks.

💡 My Advice: You obviously won’t fit all of these into one day. Pick three or four places that interest you most and build your day around those. Most are fairly close together, so there’s no need to turn your day trip into a race around Bangli.

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FAQs About Goa Giri Campuhan

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